


Unwind

by turtleeden



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort, ShuAnnWeek2k19, outings in mementos are rough lemme tell ya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 14:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19443475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtleeden/pseuds/turtleeden
Summary: After a particularly rough adventure in Mementos, the Phantom Thieves were all feeling some pain in their tired bodies... especially Ann. Not willing to stand by and watch her suffer, Akira thinks of a way to help ease her pain.(Day 2 Prompt: Touch/Kiss)





	Unwind

One by one, the Phantom Thieves emerged from the entrance of Shibuya Station as if they all just got off the train. To unknowing onlookers, they looked like a bunch of high school kids that seemed to be hanging around Shibuya, which was a normal sight. In reality, they came back from a successful run of exploring Mementos. The latest requests so far have been fulfilled, they’ve covered more ground in exploring the mysterious realm as a whole, and all of them have become stronger thanks to battling the fiercest Shadows in order to prove their justice. As they all came up the stairs and gathered at the plaza, Ryuji was the first to break the silence around them. And what he cried out rang true with how everyone felt at that moment:

“Owwwwwwww!”

Ryuji wore a grimace as he hung his head down low. He was completely exhausted, and in pain thanks to all of those encounters the gang had while in Mementos. “Son of a bitch…! I’m gonna be feelin’ that fight for a while. Why’d that last shadow had to literally blow my back out with that wind shit!? Man…” he groaned in pain, beating his shoulder with his fist.

“I was getting worried about you for a moment… that last shadow was targeting you especially, Ryuji-kun,” Makoto mentioned, furrowing her brows as she idly rubbed at her arm. Makoto was the healer of the team during the last stretch of their expedition, taking up Morgana’s place when he eventually exhausted himself. Though she didn’t endure as much physical pain as the others did this time around… her whole body felt like lead just from all that healing she did. “It was a challenge to keep you and the others above water… but at least we pulled through in the end.”

“Thank goodness. This trip was a bit rougher than the last one… I’m grateful that we were still able to do what we set out to do.” Haru voiced, holding a hand to her chest as she panted.

“Indeed. The road ahead is going to get even more difficult, if the strength of our enemies was any indicator,” Yusuke said, frowning to himself. He rolled his neck around for a brief moment, trying to ease the slight pain that has been stubbornly bothering him this whole excursion. “We must be more cautious of our handling of our respective weakness and the like.”

“Ughhhh… I swear, if I take another hit to the face or get thrown into the wall… I might never get up from bed again…” Ann groaned, rubbing at her shoulder. Physical defense was… never her strong suit, so Ann was definitely feeling some aches around her back and limbs.

“I’d have to agree with you there…” Haru admitted with a sigh. Haru wasn’t as worse for ware as Ann was, but she shared the same sentiments as she did.

“Whoa, you guys look beat. I don’t blame you though. Some of those last few shadows would’ve seriously pwned you if they got a clean hit in.” Futaba commented, wincing a bit herself.

“Ngh… don’t remind me,” Morgana groaned, tiredly resting his paws against Akira’s shoulder. As the first to get utterly drained out of everyone, Morgana’s exhaustion was easily shown in his voice and his movements. “At least we pulled through a few times thanks to your boosts, Futaba. But we can’t always depend on luck. We’ve got to step up our game if we want to get through exploring Mementos. Otherwise we can forget about infiltrating a Palace.”

“For now, we can call this exploration a success. We’ve got our requests done, and we’ve gotten further down in Mementos. With all of our close calls, I’d call that progress.” Akira spoke, pushing up his glasses as he sighed in exhaustion. 

Though he was trying not to show it, Akira was completely exhausted right now. As the Leader, he was the one constant on the team, which gave him the chance to cover various positions for his teammates when they barely had the chance to do so. Healing, taking hits, support, dishing out damage… he did all of that throughout their latest excursion. And all of that was done while he was trying to maintain his energy throughout their exploration, which meant choosing when to attack physically, when to attack with his Persona, when to heal, when to support, when to shoot… he had to juggle that for a long period of time. It would be a miracle if he really _wasn’t_ tired. 

“...Alright, guys. Let’s break for the day." Akira said tiredly. "We’re all pretty wiped out after all that exploring, so get some rest.”

“You as well, Akira-kun.” Haru said, voicing her concern.

“Yeah, dude… I’ll see ya,” Ryuji said, before grumbling to himself in his pain. “Shit, I’m really gonna be feelin’ this tomorrow…”

“Perhaps if you straighten your back while you walk, you’d put less pressure on your body.” Yusuke suggested.

“That _is_ a way to ease the aches,” Makoto pointed out. “Maybe that’ll help you, Ryuji-kun.”

“Guess it can’t hurt worse than the pain…” Ryuji sighed. He tried straightening his back while standing in place, but even then he couldn’t help but emit another loud groan. “Oww… damn it! This is a pain in the ass! In more ways than one!”

“Wow. I thought you were just complaining about your back.” Futaba questioned dully.

“Everything hurts, dammit!” Ryuji groaned again.

Everyone then proceeded to go on their way home, listening to Ryuji’s loud griping until they all eventually parted ways. The only ones that were still at the plaza were Akira, Morgana and Ann. Ann would’ve went home along with the others if she wasn’t already nursing the aches upon her shoulders. She winced in her pain as she tried to massage her aching muscles, but it hardly did anything for her… mostly because she couldn’t reach the part that was really stiff. Akira took notice of this and frowned to himself.

“Ann, you alright?” he asked.

“Not really…” Ann admitted, grimacing to herself. “Ryuji’s not the only one that’s really feeling pain right now… I got this really bad ache on my back. I’m guessing it’s from when one of those shadows knocked me against the wall with that big attack… Man, that hurt…”

Akira’s frown deepened. Oh, he remembered that moment. One of the shadows they attacked decided to unleash a strong physical attack that sent Ann flying and made her hit the wall. He practically felt his heart jump all the way up to his throat when he saw her on the ground. Luckily Makoto was able to heal Ann in time and cover for her as she recovered, but even then… seeing her so critically hurt like that _really_ pissed Akira off. To say the shadow ended up being reduced to ash under his feet was a drastic understatement. It took a big chunk of his energy away when he did it… but it was so goddamn _worth it_ to see it burn.

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to better protect you then, Lady Ann.” Morgana apologized, looking at her sadly as he rested his chin against Akira’s shoulder. “You took a really powerful attack that left you really vulnerable. It’s worrying to see you in so much pain.”

“Don’t worry about it, Morgana. It comes with the job, right? Besides, it’s all taken care of and I’m still standing, so I gotta be grateful for that,” Ann assured, forcing out a small smile. “...Anyway, I’m definitely gonna take a long bath tonight. A reaaaaally long one. I think I still have a few bath bombs still lying around at my house. Maybe it’s worth checking out when I get home.” 

Ann tiredly looked over at both Akira and Morgana, and her eyes softened at the sight of their exhausted states. As much as she’s griping about her own pain, she couldn’t imagine how the two of them must feel right now. Morgana drained himself pretty early on during their stay in Mementos, and Akira... he _must_ be tired by now. On top of juggling the duties he normally had as leader, there was also his little... reckless streaks to consider here. Those reckless spurts of his especially come out when it comes to someone getting hurt under his watch. Ann wasn't blind to his reaction when she got hurt. Powerful he may be, but he was significantly drained for the rest of the trip after that fight.

“You two make sure to rest too, okay?” Ann quickly added.

“That’s a given. You don’t need to worry,” Morgana replied, nodding his head. “But just to be safe, make sure to especially drive it home for this guy and his lack of impulse control.”

_“Hey.”_ Akira snapped, shooting a tired glare at Morgana.

“What? It’s true! You’d probably pass out on the street if I don’t remind you to go back to Leblanc every night!” Morgana protested.

“You’re exaggerating too much.” Akira sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Oh yeah?" Morgana challenged. "Do I need to remind you about how many times I had to nudge you through the bag because you almost slept through your stop on the train? And for what? Because you wanted to work a few more minutes. Or you wanted to do last-minute shopping for supplies.”

“That happened _once._ ” Akira hissed.

“Pfft. More like once every two weeks,” Morgana scoffed. “What would you do without me being there?”

“I’d finally get some peace of mind, for one thing,” Akira responded flatly. A small smirk then formed on his lips as he glanced over at Morgana slyly. “And maybe some relief for my back from carrying you around all day and night.”

“Wh -- ?!”

Ann giggled a bit as she watched the two of them banter with each other. With all of the grief that Morgana and Ryuji give each other on a daily basis, she doesn’t see this side of Akira and Morgana very often. The closest she gets to seeing that is listening to Akira on the rare occasion that he _does_ gripe about Morgana, but his gripes are more towards the minor things like how they were arguing right now. Nothing too serious. It just goes to show how close the two of them actually are.

“Okay, you two. For real. I gotta go,” Ann spoke up, taking a few steps back towards the direction she needed to go to. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow, okay?”

“Ann, wait,” Akira called, which made Ann pause. “Let me walk you home.”

“That’s okay, Akira. I’m not too beat up that I can’t go home by myself.” Ann said, shaking her head.

“That’s not what I mean.” he said in response.

“Huh? Then what _do_ you mean?” Ann asked, quirking a brow at him.

“I wanna help you with your shoulder pain,” Akira said simply. “And I know a way to do it.”

“Oh, really?” That caught Ann’s attention quickly. She was just planning to take a long bath and be done with it, but… “What did you have in mind?”

“I want to know about that too, _Joker._ ” Morgana stressed, eyeing him a little despite his exhaustion.

“It’s nothing that extreme. Trust me,” Akira said, pushing up his glasses as a knowing smile formed on his lips. “So… your place?”

Ann smiled at him before she turned her back to him, raring to go. She might not know what Akira had planned… but she did trust him. Whatever he was thinking, she knew that it came from a place of good intentions. “My place. Come on.”

\-----

Ann’s room was as messy as ever. 

Her bed was unkempt, with the comforter barely on the bed proper as most of it was slumped on the side and bunching up on the floor. A few pieces of clothing were scattered around the foot of her closet, where a mountain of clothes was being kept at bay. And even then, there were more clothes and shoe boxes that were hung and stacked all around the room. Ann wasn’t expecting company today, of course. Otherwise she would have attempted to straighten up her room a little bit. ( _It probably would still be messy, but at least she would have tried._ ) But this was an impromptu visit, and luckily Akira and Morgana were too tired to care about the mess.

Ann guided the boys to her room and invited Akira to take a seat with her on her bed. Morgana leapt out of Akira’s bag as he eyed one of Ann’s cushions that was laying around the table in the middle of the room. He curled into it and purred sweetly as he rested his head down on the fluffy surface.

“Soft… Mm… now this is more like it!” Morgana purred, before yawning a bit. “I’ll just… rest here awhile and recover… if you don’t mind, Lady Ann.”

“It’s fine by me, Morgana! Looks like you’re comfy already.” Ann assured. At her approval, Morgana eased into the cushion even more and closed his eyes. Though he was intending to rest his eyes for a few minutes, Morgana ended up falling asleep in a matter of seconds.

“Out like a light.” Akira commented.

“He did wear himself out today. Guess Morgana allowed it to catch up to him when he felt like he can rest.” Ann said. She then turned her head towards Akira with a curious look on her face, wondering about the idea he said he had in mind. 

“So… what’s your big solution for shoulder pain?" she asked. "You’re not gonna join me in the bath, are you?”

“Heh… no,” Akira said, shaking his head before he closed an eye at her playfully. “...Unless that’s what you were hoping for.”

“Pfft, no! You wish.” Ann refuted, shaking her head as a furious blush colored her cheeks.

“You’re the one who said it.” Akira pointed out, chuckling under his breath. 

Ann made a pout as she eyed him suspiciously, and that only made him chuckle even more. Oh, teasing Ann like this was always so fun to him. She was just so _cute_ when she gets all pouty like that. Watching her reactions to his light teasing has always amused Akira in a way. But as much fun as it was poking fun at Ann, he supposed that he should do what he promised. 

“Turn around.”

Ann turned with her back facing him, her pout disappearing as quickly as it came. She adjusted her twintails so that most of her upper half wasn’t obscured by her hair. Akira then scooted closer to her before resting his hands upon her shoulders. His thumbs lightly pressed against her shoulder blades before he squeezed her shoulders carefully. He repeated the actions a few times, finding a steady rhythm to use for this massage. Ann, feeling the brunt of his hands, hummed sweetly as she closed her eyes in her enjoyment.

“Mm… so _this_ is what you were planning…” she mewled, enjoying his touch. “Can you go lower?”

“Sure.” Akira said, nodding. He shifted his hands down a little, still kneading at Ann’s shoulders as he went. So far… he seemed to be doing alright, based on Ann’s hums of approval as he continued at his pace. He’s aware that he wasn’t as good at massages like a certain now-former maid he knew. But for Ann’s sake, he wanted to try and ease her pain.

“Ngh… maybe be a little more gentle…?” Ann suggested, wincing as she tried to look back at him.

Akira blinked as he raised his head in attention. “Did that hurt?” he asked.

“A little…” Ann admitted.

“Sorry…” he apologized, frowning to himself. He lightened up on his pressure, kneading at her shoulders more gently. Soon enough, Ann’s light humming returned, and she sounded more elated.

“Better?” Akira asked.

“Much.” Ann hummed, nodding. “Mm… Okay, move a little to the right…”

“Like this?” he asked, moving his hands slightly.

“Ah, right there...! Ohhhhh, yeah… that’s the spot…!” Ann moaned out, currently unaware of how that really sounded. “Stay right there, Akira…! Ohhhh my god, I’ve been trying to get at that spot forever!”

“I take it I’m doing good?” Akira asked, his lips curving into a smile.

“Mmhm…!” she hummed happily.

“Good… Just relax.” he encouraged, keeping at his pace as he massaged her aching shoulders. 

Akira kept at it for a while, with Ann’s hums of enjoyment serving as a motivator for him. He was completely focused here. He was trying to be mindful of the pressure he was putting on her, and trying to stay at the spots that needed his attention the most. Whenever Ann suggests that he’d go in a different direction, Akira would do it. If he accidentally squeezed a spot a little too hard, Ann definitely lets him know. As good as Akira was with his hands, it was clear that he needed a bit more practice doing this.

Still… Ann looked more relieved than she was when they all exited out of Mementos. For him, that was enough.

“Oh man… that’s much better…” Ann sighed dreamily as Akira finally slowed down. Smiling to herself in content, she leaned her body back so that she could rest herself against Akira’s chest. Akira immediately released his hold on her shoulders as she leaned back, opting instead to wrap his arms around her stomach loosely. When he looked down at her, he’s met with Ann smiling up at him in gratitude. “I think I’ll be able to rest a little easier tonight, thanks to you.” she said.

“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Akira replied, smiling back at her.

“Yeah… I know you got really worried back there. When I got hit...” Ann said, putting her hand on top of his as her gaze softened. Akira's smile waned a little as that moment flashed in his mind. His eyes narrowed slightly as he remembered how he felt at the sight of her hitting the wall and falling into the ground in pain... and he couldn't help but tighten his hold around her. Ann, sensing his inner pain, speaks.

“I always know this in the back of my mind… but it’s nice to see that you always got my back no matter what. If I’m in trouble, I know you’re always there to help me out of it.”

“Without a doubt.” Akira assured, nodding.

“At the same time, though… you don’t gotta be so reckless and drain yourself for our sakes either, especially when you handle so much for all of us already,” Ann then squeezed his hands gently as she snuggled her head against his chest, forming an assuring smile all while she looked up at him. “After all, we’re tougher that we look! Much as we get knocked down, we already get right back up. And when we get back up and dust ourselves off, we make sure that we still got your back... I know I do.”

“...Yeah. I know.” Akira replied softly. His gaze softened into a gentle look as he gave Ann a light squeeze in his arms, holding her close to his body and being reluctant to let her go. She’s right. He knows she’s right. How many times has she voiced that to him up to this point? A lot… and in many different ways, if he would take the time to think about it. He knows well that Ann can handle herself, and that she would defend him if he needed it. There’s not a doubt in his mind that she would jump at that chance. Even so, that worry within him felt so strong at that moment... so much so that it frightened him more than he could ever imagine. 

Akira didn’t want to think of what would’ve happened to Ann if Makoto wasn’t there to heal her. He’d rather not think about it. It was easier to take the blows himself and work out the kinks. He can deal with that. But when someone else takes a harsh blow like Ann did today… that scared him. And it angered him that someone would even _dare_ to do that to those he held dear, even when he knew the risks for a long time at this point. Ann could sense that from him, which was why she was saying that now.

“Still… thanks, Akira. For today. Especially for that massage, I really needed that,” Ann thanked again, keeping her smile. “I really do have a dependable boyfriend, don’t I?”

“I try,” Akira replied with a slight smirk. “I’ll work on that skill a little more. I know I was a little rough at some parts.”

“You weren’t that bad,” Ann assured, shaking her head. “Although… since you said that you were gonna work on it, then is this going to be a new thing?”

“Maybe...” Akira said coyly. “We’ll see.”

“Ooh… this is getting exciting!” Ann gushed, practically wiggling in Akira’s arms. “Just think… Maybe after a hard day’s work of Phantom Thieving or from a day of modeling, I’d get a nice back rub from my sweet and caring boyfriend. We’d talk, lie around the sofa in each other’s arms… maybe there’s some sweets on the table that I’d totally clean out. Oh! Maybe he’d even rub my feet if I’m lucky!”

Akira’s response to Ann’s vocal daydreaming was a rude pinch to her ticklish sides, making her jump in his arms with a loud yelp.

“H-Hey! No fair!” Ann shrieked.

“You know, I’m surprised that you didn’t wake Morgana up with how loud you were.” Akira said with a chuckle.

“I wasn’t _that_ loud!” Ann protested, pouting as she folded her arms and huffed. 

Akira laughed heartily before he bent down and lightly kissed the crown of Ann’s head. The two of them then relaxed and sat together in Ann’s room, spending the time talking about various things until it was time for Akira to pick up Morgana and go back to Leblanc. Tomorrow was another day, and and everyone needed their rest after such an excruciating adventure in Mementos. In Ann’s case, at least… she was glad that Akira was able to give her some much needed relief.

Someday, she’ll return the favor.


End file.
